


Avatar: Lost in New York

by gracefulhorse



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Azula (Avatar) Redemption
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-09
Updated: 2020-08-22
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:21:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 19,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25806547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gracefulhorse/pseuds/gracefulhorse
Summary: Aang and Katara are newly engaged, but what happens when Azula's plan to get rid of the Avatar sends Katara into an alternate dimension-the dimension that you and I live in? Kataang but more heavy on plot than romance. 6 years post-war, multiple storylines, focuses mostly on Aang, Katara, and Azula, but also a good amount on Toph, Sokka, and Suki. Canon until after the comics but you don't need to read comics to understand.
Relationships: Aang/Katara (Avatar)
Comments: 13
Kudos: 14





	1. Through the Portal

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for clicking on my story! Comments are really appreciated! This is my first time posting on AO3 and I don't really know what else to put for tags, so if there's something you think is important for me to add just let me know. This starts 6 years after the war so Toph and Aang are 18, Katara and Azula are 20, etc.

Katara couldn't stop touching the pendant that hung around her neck.

It was made of bluish-gray marble and was about an inch in diameter, carved with the image of a group of snowflakes. It was a bit heavy, but that wasn't the part Katara noticed. She had, after all, worn a similar necklace from her grandmother for most of her life. (That necklace was no longer around her neck, but instead double-wrapped around her left wrist.)

What kept reminding Katara of the new pendant around her neck was people's eyes--her Gran-Gran's gaze returning to just below her chin, Hakoda looking at her and smiling, Sokka proclaiming "Oogies" every time he turned to face her, and Toph, who had made the same joke at least three times about how beautiful she thought the necklace was.

Katara, Aang, Kanna, Hakoda, Sokka, Suki, and Toph, who had taken a vacation from the metalbending academy for the occasion, were squeezed around the stone table that normally only seated Kanna and Hakoda. Both Katara and Aang were smiling from ear to ear as their family and friends went around the table toasting the newly engaged couple.

"When did you carve the necklace?" Hakoda asked gently. Things between him and Aang had been slightly awkward for the last few hours, since the proposal had been a complete surprise to Katara's father--Aang was all too familiar with Katara's contempt for the tradition of asking one's father for permission to marry. Hakoda, thankfully, appeared to be understanding.

"About a month ago," Aang answered.

"I carved his about six months ago," Katara offered with a guilty smile. Her fiance was wearing a new piece of jewelry, too--a smaller stone medallion around his wrist, which depicted a simple cluster of clouds. She was happy at the coincidence that they had both intentionally chosen symbols that were a fusion of water and air. "I thought he was about to propose back then," she added, glancing pointedly at Aang.

"Well, I would have if I'd known you were ready," Aang countered gently. If they were on their own, this would have escalated into a full-scale mock argument--as both Katara and Aang _loved _to argue in jest--but they didn't want to give the wrong impression to their guests, who were here to celebrate their engagement of approximately twelve hours.__

____

"Okay, okay, we're all happy for them," Sokka interrupted the conversation. "Now can we please start on dessert?"

____

Toph had brought to the party a huge basket full of sweetened mochi. Sokka had been eyeing it all night, only distracted by the platter of seal-fish that had been the highlight of the meal (Aang was stuck with steamed tofu).

____

Katara rolled her eyes and reached to the table behind her to retrieve the basket.

____

After the small engagement party, Hakoda left with Toph and Aang to walk them through the snowy night to the inn where they were both staying. He had insisted Katara stay with him and Kanna, even though she and Aang lived together in the new air temple outside of Cranefish Town. They were visiting Katara's family when Aang proposed. Katara acquiesced without a fight, glad that Hakoda hadn't been upset that Aang didn't ask him for permission.

__\---_ _

Aang and Toph sat together for a few hours in the inn's lounge room before going to their respective rooms. There was a lot to catch up on. Toph had just received more funding for her metalbending academy and had come up with a better system for screening for the talent. Aang had recently established a new environmental protection program to limit the damage caused by the factory in Cranefish Town. The two friends hadn't seen each other in almost a year.

____

Toph propped her bare feet up in front of the fireplace. She had tried wearing boots at first while in the Southern Water tribe, but eventually found that she would rather have freezing feet than keep bumping into things that she couldn't see. "Ahhh, that's more like it," she sighed loudly. Aang winced. He wasn't sure if Katara knew how to heal frostbite.

____

Toph leaned closer to Aang conspiratorially. "So, you always planned to propose this morning or did a certain little something give you a time crunch?"

____

Aang's eyebrows furrowed. "Huh?"

____

Toph shrugged. "You know..."

____

"What are you talking about?"

____

"You know...Sugar Queen..."

____

"We are engaged, yes."

____

"Oh, come on Twinkle Toes, you forget I can feel everything with my feet. I know Katara's pregnant, I can feel the baby's heartbeat."

____

Aang turned to Toph, shocked. "Katara's _what _?" Toph bit her lip, smiling.__

______ _ _

"Whoops! Sorry to ruin the surprise! Do you think Katara knows?"

______ _ _

Aang pondered the question for a moment, still stunned. "I don't think so. She would have told me this morning."

______ _ _

"Yeah, Sugar Queen's not one to keep secrets from her true love," Toph mocked playfully. "Well, that's exciting! If the baby's an earthbender, you'd better send it to my school,"

______ _ _

Aang's broad smile was punctuated by an expression of confusion. "I know I'm the Avatar, but I don't think that's possible, Toph."

______ _ _

"Oh, right. Well, maybe an airbender. That's the second-best element."

______ _ _

" _Hey _!"__

________ _ _ _ _

The pair continued talking and laughing by the inn's fire. Aang felt a note of relief when he saw Toph's feet returning to a normal color. But candidly, now that he was engaged to Katara, now that he had this wonderful new secret, nothing could put a damper on his joy.

________ _ _ _ _

Eventually, Toph got too tired to keep talking. "I think I'm gonna head up to my room. Night, Twinkle Toes. Congrats!" She gave him a punch on the arm, laughing when he yelped loudly.

________ _ _ _ _

Aang sat in the lounge for a little while longer before heading up to his room. If it was going to be difficult for him to sleep after just getting engaged, it was impossible now. He'd wake up Katara first thing in the morning, he decided. He hadn't been Toph's most talented student in terms of sensing vibrations in the earth, but maybe he would be able to feel the heartbeat, too.

________ _ _ _ _

Aang eventually climbed the inn's stairs and found his room. He laid in the small, creaky bed and stared up at the ceiling. But instead of seeing darkness, he saw the future.

______\---_ _ _ _ _ _

It was well into the night when Sokka and Suki, the last remaining guests, gave their lasts hugs and kisses to Katara and left to go to the house they shared on the other side of town. Katara joined her Gran-Gran to help clean up from the celebratory dinner.

________ _ _ _ _

"Can you melt this water?" Kanna asked. "It's a getting a little frozen around the edges."

________ _ _ _ _

With a fluid motion of Katara's hand, the tub full of dish-washing water was liquid again. "Thanks, dear."

________ _ _ _ _

"You're welcome."

________ _ _ _ _

The pair knelt in silence in front of the tub for a few minutes. The only sound was the sloshing of soapy water as Kanna and Katara washed up after their guests. Hakoda was in his bedroom, mending a fishing net that had been ripped open by a dolphin-piranha.

________ _ _ _ _

Kanna spoke suddenly. "I'm so proud of you, Katara." Katara smiled and wiped her wet hands on her legs so that she could hug her Gran-Gran.

________ _ _ _ _

"Thank you. I love you, Gran-Gran. I missed you!" It had been five months since Katara and Aang had last visited the Southern Water Tribe. Appa had been too sick to carry them sooner; it took Aang a while to realize that he had built Appa's shelter too close to a cherry-birch tree, which gave sky bison incapacitating allergies.

________ _ _ _ _

"Will you still be able to visit after you and Aang are married?" Kanna asked. She would never have asked in front of the sensitive airbender, but that worry was at the front of her mind.

________ _ _ _ _

"Of course!" Katara answered. "It might only be every three months, though. I still only teach three days a week at the bending academy in Cranefish Town, but I'm a lot busier at the healing clinic at the air temple now that more people are moving there."

________ _ _ _ _

"That's just fine, Katara. But I'm holding you to that!" Kanna said seriously.

________ _ _ _ _

"And I mean it, Gran-Gran. I love visiting, and I love the Southern Water Tribe. But it's important to me to teach the Southern Water Tribe style of bending that I learned from Hama to as many people as I can, and it's important to Aang to rebuild the airbender culture. It just wouldn't work here." Katara got to her feet, having finished the dishes. "Do we still keep ginger in the cupboard? I'm a little nauseous, I'm going to make some tea."

________ _ _ _ _

"Yes, at the bottom left. Go easier on the sake next time."

________ _ _ _ _

Katara laughed. "I don't like how sake tastes. I think I just overate."

________ _ _ _ _

Kanna finished drying off the last plate and Katara helped her up. "I'm going to bed. Goodnight, dear."

________ _ _ _ _

"Love you, Gran-Gran."

________ _ _ _ _

And then Katara was alone for the first time that day, sipping her tea at the table. She was almost glad to be apart from Aang just for this one night. She hadn't been alone for a long time.

________ _ _ _ _

Katara gulped down the bitter dregs of her ginger tea, got up, and headed to the door. There was a bedroll for her spread out on the floor of the house's main room, but she wasn't very tired.

________ _ _ _ _

The Southern Water Tribe had grown into a respectably-sized city, but as it grew, her Gran-Gran and her father had moved into a small house just outside of it. They preferred the quiet and isolation from when it was a much smaller village. Katara understood, and she appreciated the fact that she was alone now as she stepped outside into the snow, breathing in the icy air and watching her breath rise by the light of the full moon. She could see the aurora australis tonight: it wasn't stunningly bright, but it was there, shifting from green to blue to violet. Katara felt suddenly warm inside. Even the night sky was celebrating her and Aang.

________ _ _ _ _

A light radiating from behind a nearby boulder caught Katara's attention. Her eyes narrowed in confusion. Kanna and Hakoda didn't have any neighbors for about a half-mile, so what was this? She walked closer to investigate, drawing water from the snow below and holding it at the ready.

________ _ _ _ _

When she saw what it was, Katara gasped with delight. It was a polar leopard, albeit one that was glowing with a strange bluish-white light. Katara had some clothes made from polar leopard fur, but those had been passed down to her by her Gran-Gran's mother. They were rare now; Katara hadn't seen one since she was little.

________ _ _ _ _

"Hey, buddy," Katara crooned, cautiously walking closer to the polar leopard. It purred happily. She let her ball of water settle back on the ground and reached out a hand to touch it on the head.

________ _ _ _ _

That was a mistake.

________ _ _ _ _

The polar leopard went berserk as soon as Katara's fingers came into contact with its glowing fur. Katara let out a shriek, but it was stifled in the back of her throat as the polar leopard started running rapidly forward, into the empty tundra. It was almost as if her hand was glued to its mottled white pelt; Katara tried to pull it away, but the polar leopard continued to drag her along with it.

________ _ _ _ _

Katara managed to swing her legs up over the animal's back so as to stop hitting her legs on rocks. "Help!" she shouted, although she was far away from the house now. She yanked her hand away from the glowing polar leopard again, but to no avail. Katara took water from the air and tried to slice between her fingers and its fur. Nothing. She tried slapping the creature's neck with her other hand. Nothing. "Help!" she yelled again.

________ _ _ _ _

The polar leopard ran with Katara for a long time, and she unsuccessfully struggled to get off the creature's back the entire time. Eventually, they arrived at a cave that ran underground. Katara was at a full-blown panic by now, and she could feel vomit rising at the back of her throat. "Let--me--off!" she screamed, kicking at the polar leopard one last time. This time, though, she slid off of the leopard's slippery pelt and landed in a heap at the floor of the cave.

________ _ _ _ _

"Good job," said a familiar female voice. Katara sat quickly back up.

________ _ _ _ _

"Azula!" she exclaimed. The fugitive Fire Nation princess hadn't been seen since she escaped arrest in the Fire Nation Capital a year and a half ago.

________ _ _ _ _

"Katara!" Azula said, smiling. "Good to see you."

________ _ _ _ _

Katara moved to collect water from the air, but Azula shook her head. "Kenchi chi-blocked you on the way here, didn't you notice? Oh, Kenchi is the polar leopard. Spirit polar leopard. He showed me this place! Kenchi, Katara. Katara, Kenchi."

________ _ _ _ _

"What do you want?" Katara growled.

________ _ _ _ _

"Oh, you don't really need to know that," Azula said casually, shrugging. "Kenchi, can you take her through the portal?" The polar leopard purred, and Katara's eyes widened in fear. The polar leopard started dragging her again, but this time to a shimmering wall of light at the side of the cave.

________ _ _ _ _

"Sorry, Katara."

________ _ _ _ _

Katara disappeared through the wall of light.

________ _ _ _ _

"Thank you, Kenchi," Azula crooned, scratching the side of the polar leopard's head. "I'll inform the Avatar of her whereabouts, and once he's through, you know how to close the portal, yes?"

________ _ _ _ _

The polar leopard meowed in reponse.

________ _ _ _ _

"Wonderful, Kenchi." Azula's stoic face was split by a smile. "We won't have a common enemy for much longer."

______\---_ _ _ _ _ _

Katara was brought slowly into consciousness by the slow appearance of daylight on the street. She groaned at the light, wanting to sleep for longer. Eventually she opened her eyes, annoyed by something under her that was poking at her back.

________ _ _ _ _

And suddenly the events of last night came rushing back to her, along with all the fear. Katara's head whipped wildly back and forth, taking in her surroundings. She was sitting at the side of what looked to be a strange street, which was filled with machines instead of with carts and ostrich-horses.

________ _ _ _ _

She was in a city; she knew that for sure. But it wasn't any sort of city that she had ever seen before. The buildings seemed to stretch almost to the sky; the sidewalks were filled were filled with more people than Katara had seen in her life. She took a breath, trying to remain calm.

________ _ _ _ _

_Where am I? ___

________ _ _ _ _


	2. Where's Katara?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Thanks for reading all the way to Chapter 2! Reviews are really appreciated!
> 
> A brief recap of last chapter:
> 
> -Aang and Katara got engaged
> 
> -Katara is pregnant but only Aang and Toph know
> 
> -Katara was kidnapped by Azula and thrown through the portal to an alternate universe
> 
> Enjoy the story!

Aang was up and out of bed as soon as he saw a hint of sunrise from the window of the inn.

The nights were relatively short at this time of year, but Aang was too impatient to let Katara sleep for any longer. He forced himself to slow down a little bit, but only to take a bath, change his clothes, and run a razor over his scalp and face. Then, his heart thrumming with excitement, he grabbed his glider, which was leaning against the doorframe, and left his rented room via window.

Aang could travel quickly with his glider, but it still took him a few minutes to arrive at the small house that Hakoda and Kanna shared. Appa was staying there too: it was hard to find room in the city for a sky bison to stay. Toph had made Appa an earth tent, and he hadn't emerged since Aang and Katara arrived two days ago; not even for the cabbages Aang had brought with them. Poor Appa hated the cold. This would be his last trek to the Southern Water Tribe, Aang decided. It shouldn't be too difficult to build a small boat, and between his waterbending and Katara's, they would have no problem propelling it down south.

Eventually, the house came into Aang's field of view. He tilted his glider gently downwards and let himself float to the ground. He hesitated for a moment at the front door. Should he knock or just go right in? He knocked--he thought it was best to just assume that he was on thin ice with Hakoda after the proposal.

And Aang had assumed correctly, apparently: Hakoda answered the door and grumbled under his breath when he saw Aang. "Good morning, Hakoda," Aang greeted the man with a respectful half-bow. "Is Katara up? I need to talk to her."

Hakoda sighed. "Oh, don't pretend. You know where she is better than I do."

"What do you mean?"

"Katara left last night and she's not back. I don't know where she would be if not with you."

_That explains Hakoda's grumpiness _, Aang thought. He frowned. "She's not with me. Did she leave a note?"__

__Hakoda sensed the truth in Aang's voice and mirrored his frown. He turned around to scan the room behind him quickly. "I don't think so..."_ _

__"She didn't say where she was going last night? Did she have something to do? Is there any place she--"_ _

__"No, no, I would have thought of that, Aang," Hakoda said, his voice curt again. Aang hung his head slightly._ _

__"Maybe she's with Sokka? Or Toph?" Aang wondered out loud._ _

__"I don't know," Hakoda answered doubtfully. "You should go check, though. If she's missing we need to start looking right away. The cold can be very dangerous."_ _

__Aang nodded, a feeling of nervousness replacing the excitement of a few minutes ago. He stepped outside and was unfolding his glider when something caught his eye. A spirit polar leopard?_ _

__Aang approached the creature nervously. He recognized it as being from the spirit world because of its bluish glow, but he was apprehensive of the spirit world now. He still wasn't sure what the consequences would be of his actions in Cranefish Town two years ago. He had defeated the spirit General Old Iron who was terrorizing the town, but he was the Avatar, the bridge between the living and spirit worlds. He knew he should have been trying to make peace, not choosing to protect humans instead of spirits._ _

__"Hello," Aang said neutrally, walking up to the creature. "Are you here to see me?"_ _

__The creature dropped something that it had been holding in its mouth and then darted away from Aang, staying within his line of sight, but at a distance. Aang bent down to pick up what the polar leopard had dropped: a piece of paper. Aang read the note, making sure to keep one eye on the spirit creature while he did so. As he read, his sense of dread only grew._ _

__"Hakoda!" Aang shouted. Katara's father, who had been waking Kanna, rushed outside._ _

__"What is it?" he asked before seeing the polar leopard and Aang holding the piece of paper. "What does that say?" Aang, his face as white as a sheet, held the paper out for Hakoda to read._ _

___I have Katara. Follow Kenchi if you want to see her again. Come alone. _Aang saw Hakoda flinch, and he could practically feel all the warmth that he had toward the airbender seeping away. And he was right to feel that way, Aang reasoned: Katara was gone, and it was his fault.__ _ _

____"You should go," Hakoda declared grimly. Aang nodded and leaned closer to Hakoda's ear to whisper so that the polar leopard couldn't hear:_ _ _ _

____"Should I go alone? Should I get Toph to go behind?" Aang had no idea what to do, but Kenchi's sudden snarl answered the question for him._ _ _ _

____Aang turned away from Hakoda, near tears. He held his unfolded air glider up but Kenchi snarled again, edging closer to Aang. "What?" Kenchi walked right up to the airbender and struck him with a lightning-fast jab from his back legs. Aang was chi-blocked._ _ _ _

____"Oh."_ _ _ _

____The large animal turned to him to offer him a place on its back. He climbed on reluctantly. "Kenchi, is it?"_ _ _ _

____Kenchi started running. Aang turned around to look at Hakoda but found that he was almost too far away to see._ _ _ _

____"Wow, you're fast," Aang remarked, trying to keep the panic out of his voice. The polar leopard did not respond. "Look, I'm really sorry about what happened with General Old Iron," he continued. "I just...I was trying to keep people from dying. I didn't know how to make peace. I failed."_ _ _ _

____The only answer Kenchi gave was a low, rumbling growl. Aang took a deep breath and started fiddling with his new betrothal bracelet. He couldn't freak out. Katara needed him to not freak out._ _ _ _

____Thinking of Katara really wasn't helping things._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____\---_ _ _ _

____ _ _

_____Don't freak out. Don't freak out. ____ _ _ _

______That's what Katara kept repeating to herself as she walked down the unfamiliar sidewalk on the unfamiliar street in the unfamiliar city full of unfamiliar buildings and unfamiliar people and--_ _ _ _ _ _

_______Don't freak out. ____ _ _ _ _ _

________Katara paused and turned around. She had been pacing between two streets for the better part of three hours, trying not to get too far from where she woke up in case it turned out to be helpful in terms of getting back home. This strange new world even had a different system for crossing the street-a light that showed a green silhouette when you were allowed to walk. A traffic light, she had heard someone call it._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________A thought suddenly struck Katara. Would she even be safe here? What if there was a world in this world, too? What if she was a waterbender in the Fire Nation during the Hundred Year War?_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Katara sat down on one of the sidewalk's benches, trying to look inconspicuous. She was studying the faces of people passing her-were there any waterbenders? Was there anyone else who looked like her? She saw another woman who had the same dark skin as her, but she lacked the Water Tribe blue eyes. She had dark eyes instead, almost black. An airbender? Maybe this was a world without war, if there were still airbenders roaming the streets. Katara kept looking. _There. _An older woman with electric blue eyes. She sighed with relief. At least there were waterbenders here.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Katara tried her best to investigate around the area where she had woken up. The sign at the corner of the road was marked with some symbols that she couldn't understand. She studied them as closely as she could, but she wasn't sure she would be able to recognize them again. There were signs marked with similar symbols on every single street corner. There was a shop with a sign with a picture of a pepper on it nearby. Hopefully, that would be enough for Katara to go on if she needed to return here._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________It was getting really hard to stay calm._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________"Excuse me?" Katara tapped on the shoulder of another woman walking down the street. She had blue eyes, so Katara hoped that she could help a fellow waterbender. The woman turned to Katara with a mistrustful look on her face._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________"Hi, sorry to bother you. I don't know where I am or how I got here. Can you help me?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________"You're in New York City," the woman answered with a puzzled look on her face, turning to go._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________"Do you know-is there anyone who knows anything about bending? About the spirit world or anything? I think I'm in trouble with-"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________"Look, I don't know what you think you're talking about, but if you don't leave me alone, I'm calling the police," the other woman answered harshly, striding briskly away from Katara._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________Don't freak out. ____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Katara tried to reason out her problem. The people here weren't being friendly or helpful. She had no idea what to do in this city. She didn't think she could get back home from where she had woken up._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________"I'll leave the city," Katara murmured to herself. Maybe she could find a friendlier place, or she could at least forage for some food somewhere. She decided on a random direction and started walking._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Katara hadn't noticed anyone bending yet, but as she passed a man standing in front of a strange-looking building, she saw a small plume of smoke. A firebender. The Fire Nation war was long over in Katara's world, but her apprehension for firebenders was back in full force now. She turned to watch the man cautiously, trying not to be noticed. He noticed her almost immediately, giving her an unfriendly glare._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_____________That's strange _, Katara thought. _His eyes are brown _. She decided there was no time to dwell on that fact. In a swift motion, she drew a ball of water from the humid air and held it at the ready. "Why are you glaring at me?" she asked combatively.____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________The man's look of shock didn't serve to put Katara at ease. _Oh, no _, she realized. _There aren't any waterbenders here. Eye color doesn't even matter. That's how this brown-eyed man can be a firebender! _"How are you doing that? With the water?" the man asked curiously._____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________"Waterbending?" Katara asked, confused._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________"Huh," he remarked. "Can you do any tricks with that?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________"Well, I'm a waterbending master in the Northern and Southern styles," Katara bragged, relieved to have finally started a conversation. "I'm a teacher at the bending school in Cranefish Town."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________"Haven't heard of Cranefish Town."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________"Oh. Well, it's...far away."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________"What's your name, sweetie?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________Katara was suddenly uncomfortable again. "Um...Kat." _What kind of a name is Kat? Is that really the best you can do? _Katara mentally chided herself.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________"Kat...have you ever considered joining the circus?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


	3. Into the City

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A brief summary of last chapter:
> 
> -Aang and Hakoda realize Katara is missing.
> 
> -Kenchi the polar leopard brings a note summoning Aang to...where?
> 
> -Katara wakes up in New York City
> 
> -Katara might join the circus!
> 
> Enjoy!

Azula paced back and forth across the floor of the cave, nervously waiting for Kenchi to return with the Avatar. While her current actions might not have reflected it, the disgraced firebender had gone through an immense period of personal growth in the past year and a half. Well, _she _thought so, anyway.__

__Since just before the beginning of the war, the Fire Nation princess had been suffering from delusions of her mother misleading her, treating her like a monster, trying to trick her out of the power she deserved. Those hallucinations reached a boiling point when she had dressed as a mythical Kemikurage and orchestrated the kidnapping of several dozen Fire Nation children in an attempt to scare Zuko into acting like a good leader, into leading the Fire Nation the way Azula would._ _

__The disastrous failure of that plan had been the wake-up call that Azula desperately needed. Her mother wasn't trying to sabotage her, she realized. She had no prewritten destiny besides that which she decided for herself._ _

__And she had decided almost immediately after her bungled power-play: Her destiny was to bring the Fire Nation back into greatness. Her destiny was to wear the crown of the Fire Lord, not just to pull the strings of an uncooperative puppet. Her destiny was to take back the Earth Kingdom that she and Ozai had been so close to conquering. Her destiny was to put all the power back into the blessed hands of firebenders._ _

__There was still a powerful Ozai loyalist movement remaining in the Fire Nation. A military coup powered by these people, aided by the Dai Li and bender supremacists, could tip the power in the Fire Nation back towards Azula. Her weak brother Zuko wouldn't be too difficult to contain._ _

__And once she took the Fire Nation, Azula could control anything, could she not?_ _

__But, of course, the entire plan hinged on getting rid of the Avatar._ _

__Azula had met Kenchi about four months ago: the spirit polar leopard had approached her in her new Earth Kingdom home. Yes--the former princess had been living undercover as a peasant, helping out an unsuspecting farming family in exchange for room and board._ _

__Kenchi, smarter and more cunning than his animal form might suggest, was the leader of a large spirit world movement to get rid of the Avatar. The Avatar had fought against a disgruntled spirit in Cranefish Town instead of standing with the spirit world. Aang had greatly angered those who no longer walked with the living._ _

__Kenchi's group had a plan to rid the world of the Avatar once and for all. Kenchi and Azula would use the waterbending girl to lure the Avatar through a portal to another world. Azula knew of its whereabouts due to Ozai's obsession with the spirit world during the wartime search for the Avatar. Kenchi knew how to use Azula's firebending to amplify his spirit powers and destroy the portal after Aang had crossed through it. That way, the Avatar could never be reborn into their world again._ _

__It was the perfect plan._ _

__Azula had dressed herself in a dark, hooded robe, and layered a thick veil over her face to hide her identity. There was still much that could go wrong, and she didn't want to risk being caught. The wooden soles of her winter boots made soft thunk thunk thunks against the cave's smooth stone floor as she paced nervously across it, waiting for her plan to go into full effect._ _

__Her father had discovered this place when he was close to Azula's age. He, like Zuko, had searched high and low for the Avatar, and while his visit to the Southern Water Tribe had taken him closer than he realized, all he had found was this shimmering portal to another world. He had sent a servant through the portal--the boy returned after several days of searching for a way back, muttering about strange machines and too many people and _no firebenders. _____

____It wasn't a world that Ozai wanted to live in. But he had passed the secret on to Azula, not trusting his older son with the location of the portal. He thought that it could be useful to them in the future. And oh, was he right._ _ _ _

____Azula was beginning to grow impatient when Kenchi finally arrived with a distressed-looking Avatar in tow. Aang stared intensely at the hooded Azula._ _ _ _

____"What do you want? Where is Katara?" he asked, climbing off of Kenchi and taking an airbending stance. Azula laughed, lowering the pitch of her voice to disguise it. She could see a look of confusion on Aang's face. The airbender knew that her voice was familiar, but he couldn't place it._ _ _ _

____"Don't try to scare me with that stance," Azula snapped. "Kenchi's one of the most powerful chi-blockers in the entire spirit world. You'll be incapacitated for at least the rest of today."_ _ _ _

____Aang flinched at this. He had been used to a different sort of chi-blocking introduced to him by Ty Lee: frightening and painful and frustrating, but much less long-lasting than this._ _ _ _

____"What do you want?" he repeated. Azula took a breath. There was one final trick to pull off: she couldn't be certain that Aang would cross through the portal if he knew her true intentions._ _ _ _

____"My mother has always told me legends of this portal. Some of my friends say it leads to the spirit world. But my mother says it leads to another world entirely: a dangerous one."_ _ _ _

____Azula shifted the tone of her voice now, trying to sound somber. It was more difficult than it seemed: the manipulative princess was out of touch with the magnitude of human emotion._ _ _ _

____"My brother and I came to this cave on a dare a few days ago. He touched the portal and was sucked through. He still hasn't come back. I need the Avatar's help to save him."_ _ _ _

____Aang's face was full of puzzlement now. "Why not just ask me? Where is Katara?" He resumed the airbending stance. He knew he was powerless to stop the cloaked figure, but it made him feel braver._ _ _ _

____"Do you want her back or not?" The real answer to that question was I couldn't be sure that you would cross for anyone other than the waterbender. But Azula couldn't let Aang in on her real plan._ _ _ _

____"Sorry." Aang mentally chided himself for not being more careful with his words._ _ _ _

____"Your waterbender is on the other side of this portal. You'll only be able to save her if you save my brother, too."_ _ _ _

____Aang cautiously approached the cave's shimmering wall, taking care not to touch it. He turned back to the hooded figure. "Why can't I bring anyone else? My friend Toph would--"_ _ _ _

____And before he could say anything else, the cloaked kidnapper was pushing him roughly towards the portal, bridging the short gap between Aang and another world. As soon as Aang's shoulder came into contact with the strange wall, his vision went black._ _ _ _

____Aang came to after several hours of sitting on the rough pavement of the New York City sidewalk. Masses of people passed back and forth on the sidewalks. _How am I supposed to find the kidnapper's brother here? _Aang wondered. How am I supposed to find Katara?___ _ _ _

______Something caught Aang's eye and he turned to investigate. _The portal! _It was a small square of shimmering light, hidden behind the back of a bench. Aang took in his surroundings, making sure that he would be able to return to this spot.___ _ _ _ _ _

________He turned back to the portal to find it shrinking, nearly gone._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________The portal was completely closed after a few more seconds. Aang's heart sank. _Is it going to come back? _____ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________And suddenly everything clicked together: The familiarity of the hooded figure's voice, the anger of the spirit leopard, the disappearing portal._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________It was Azula. ____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________\---_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Katara sat inside the strange building--which turned out to actually be a massive tent--watching an acrobat tumble through the air. She still hadn't seen anyone actually airbending, but the way the performers were soaring through the air, they might as well have been._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Katara knew that Azula's former friend, and current Kyoshi warrior, Ty Lee had done something similar in a Fire Nation circus, but the waterbender had never actually seen such a performance. It was so entertaining that she could almost forget that she had no idea where she was, that nobody knew she was missing, and that she felt like she was coming down with a fierce stomach bug._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Okay, maybe not _quite _almost.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________"What do you think?" asked the man sitting next to Katara. He had introduced himself to her as Mitch, brought her inside to see a rehearsal of the circus performance, and gave her a bag of popcorn that wasn't doing too much to quell the hunger gnawing at her unsettled stomach._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________"It's amazing," Katara remarked, her voice still wavering with nervousness at her situation._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________"Do you think you'd like to audition? I'm just the assistant director, but I'm sure I could put in a good word with our casting manager. Most of our performers are exotic types like you, so you'd fit in well."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Katara wasn't sure she liked this man very much. His voice was friendly enough but his words left her feeling--for lack of a better word--slimy._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________But what else was she going to do? Starve?_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________"I'd love to," Katara chirped in an unnaturally cheery voice. "Did you want me to perform in a fight? Or just move through some katas?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________"I'm not sure what katas are, but probably that," Mitch answered, chuckling loudly as if his words were particularly funny. Katara laughed along with him. She may not like this man, but she wasn't sure what else she was going to do. At least there were some other benders here: Katara hadn't found the torch-juggling firebenders particularly impressive, but it was something._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________"I'll be back in a minute," Mitch told Katara, patting the waterbender's knee. She resisted the urge to pull away. He got up from his seat and left Katara to observe the rest of the show. She scrutinized the animals that were trotting in a circle, performing tricks for their trainer. She had never seen anything like them before. They looked like horse-ostriches with misshapen, four-legged bodies and bony faces where beaks should be. Were they just native to somewhere Katara had never been? She doubted it. Her travels had taken her all over her world. These animals must be exclusive to this different and confusing place._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Katara had a sudden and sobering thought. This place's animals were different. That meant it was possible that this place's people were different. _That _meant...___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________Katara recalled the look of shock on Mitch's face when she had gathered water from thin air. It wasn't because waterbenders didn't live here...it was because waterbenders didn't _exist _here. No benders did. Katara's heart was pounding as the puzzle pieces fell together in her mind. Mitch hadn't been firebending, he had been burning something. Those torch-jugglers were actually juggling torches! _That's not very smart, _Katara thought._____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________Before she had had much time to let this realization sink in, Mitch returned to his seat. "I just talked to our casting director and it's your lucky day--she has time to see your audition right after this rehearsal! We've been looking for another act ever since those PETA people forced us to surrender the elephants."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________Katara nodded like she knew what he was talking about. "That's great!"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________"Well, I have to go. I told her where you are, she'll come get you after the show. Her name is Felicity."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________"Thank you." Katara gave Mitch a nod and a smile. He nodded back, then got up again to leave._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_____________________What in the world are elephants? ____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________The circus' final performance was a tightrope walker, who had Katara's heart beating in her throat every time he intentionally wobbled on the line. "That's a wrap! Good job, everybody!" shouted a woman on the other side of the stadium, who had been watching the entire rehearsal and occasionally offering advice to the performers. She got to her feet and started crossing the arena, her gaze set on Katara._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________"Are you Kat?" she asked. The woman had waist-length silver hair and a smile that seemed much more genuine than Mitch's. Katara nodded._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________"I'm Felicity. I'm the casting director here. Mitch told me that you were interested in auditioning to join our troupe?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________Katara nodded again. "Yes."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________"Okay, great. Can you just give me a brief demonstration of your talent, then? It doesn't have to be a fully structured performance, just show me what you can do."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________"Okay." Katara stepped into the arena. The last performer was leaving with an armful of folded-up scaffolding that had been used in the tightrope performance._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________Holding her hands straight and parallel to one another, Katara gathered moisture from the air surrounding her into a ball of water that was slightly larger than her head. She could feel her tongue growing cottony as the air around her dried up._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________Sweeping both arms over her head, Katara made a snake-shaped rope of water, sending it spiraling towards the circus tent's ceiling, and letting it fall down in the form of thousands of tiny shards of ice._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________She demonstrated several more of her most impressive tricks over the next several minutes. There was a wave of water that froze into ice and then melted again instantly. There was her signature water octopus, although only a miniature version since Katara hadn't been able to get much water from the air surrounding her. She even demonstrated a trick of her own invention-creating a cyclone of water and letting it sweep her up, bringing her up into the air and setting her back down._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________Katara had hardly broken a sweat when she was finished-and the sweat that was there was the result of being fully dressed in her Southern Water Tribe furs on a spring day in New York City. She turned to hear Felicity clapping, and Katara couldn't help but smile._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________"I'll have to clear it with one of my colleagues, but I would be very surprised if you don't at least get incorporated into one of the acts that we have already," Felicity smiled._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________"That's great! And if I had some more water to work with, just a barrel of water maybe, I could do this on a bigger scale," Katara replied._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________"I need to know, though: What's your secret? How do you make the water move like that? It might be a problem for us if it's dangerous or if it requires any special resources."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________Katara's smile sagged slightly. She wasn't prepared for this question. "Well...um...it doesn't require any special resources. And it's not dangerous. It's just waterbending."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________Felicity frowned. "I'm afraid you'll have to tell me a bit more than that, Kat."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________"It's-I don't know, it's waterbending. Look, I can heal with it too." Katara had noticed a long gash running down the top of Felicity's forearm. She unscrewed the top of her bottle of bending water that was still secured to the wrapping on her clothes. She coaxed half of the water out through the mouth of the container and held it to Felicity's arm. Felicity pursed her lips but said nothing._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________"There you go. See?" The gash was gone. "It's not a magic trick. It's waterbending," Katara explained. Felicity rubbed the spot on her arm where the cut had been, marveling at the soft new skin. "I don't understand this," she said, her tone confused. Katara's heart sank._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________"But whatever it is, it's pretty special. I'm sure we can find a place for you here."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________"Thank you so much, Felicity."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________"I think I have an extra application right here," Felicity said, pulling a folded paper out of her jacket pocket and handing it to Katara. "And here's a pen..." the writing apparatus came right after. "Can you fill this out right now?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________"Thank you," said Katara again, starting to sound like a broken record. She took the pen and the paper and started reading the form. "Felicity? I can't read these type of characters."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________"Oh," Felicity frowned. "Well, what can you read?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________"I don't know what it's called here...Where I'm from it's just Standard."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________"I'll read it to you, then. Is that alright?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________Katara nodded. "Thank you."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________"Okay. Last four digits of your social security number?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________"What's a social security number?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________Katara's question elicited another look of confusion from the flustered casting director. "You're not from around here, are you?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________"I guess you could say that."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________"No green card? No visa?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________Katara shook her head. She had no idea what either of those things were._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________"Well...I suppose if you don't have a social security number, we can pay you under the table. We'll skip the application form. I don't have any problem with illegal immigrants."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________Katara was unsettled by the implication that she was somehow breaking a law by having come (against her will) to this other world, but decided not to question that phrasing. She decided to ask Felicity about it at a later time--if people could come illegally to this place, maybe someone would know how to get her out of here. But there was something else that didn't make sense:_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________"Under the table?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________"It means, like, unofficially. Good grief, did you grow up on Mars?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________"Mars?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________Felicity, thankfully, chuckled at Katara's last question like she was making a joke. Katara didn't put up a fight._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________"So, Kat. Our circus provides free room and board. I'll just run your admission by Jamison--that's my colleague in casting, and he's also one of the jugglers--and can you come back tomorrow at around noon? I'll have confirmed it by then, and we can talk about your salary."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________"Okay."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________"I have to go take care of something else now--one of our trapeze artists is threatening to quit on me. Make sure you come tomorrow!" Felicity gave Katara a wave and started walking away._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________Katara left the huge tent and started walking down the street. She had seen a man earlier today sleeping in a little alcove in front of a building. That would have to do for Katara, just for tonight. Tomorrow, she would go to the circus. She would find a new pair of clothes--the hotness and dirtiness of her furs was beginning to stress her out--and then, she would figure out how to get back to her family. Back to Aang._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________Although that was easier said than done._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Summary of last chapter:
> 
> -Azula gets Aang through the portal as part of her plan to get rid of the Avatar so that she can take over the Fire Nation again.
> 
> -The portal is sealed off behind Aang.
> 
> -Katara auditions for the circus and it looks like she's going to be a performer.
> 
> Also, in case it's unclear, characters from the ATLA world read the Earth equivalent of Chinese and speak the Earth equivalent of English. For the purpose of this fic, anyway.

It seemed as if the entire world was conspiring against Toph Beifong's desire to get a good night's sleep.

Back home at the metalbending academy, it was a rare occasion that Toph wasn't woken up well before dawn to defuse a fight between students, help a struggling student with extra practice, or simply by the ground being rumbled by an overzealous earthbender.

This weeklong vacation to celebrate Katara and Aang's engagement was supposed to be a getaway.

But alas, it was early in the morning, and Toph, Hakoda, Sokka, and Suki were running along the path that a spirit polar leopard's paws had left in the snow, hurrying to reach Aang before the trail was blown away by the wind. Toph was glad she'd had the foresight to put on boots this morning. She hated the blurry feeling they gave her, but at this rate, they would be out here for a long time. Toph would rather trip a few times than lose her feet.

They had probably been jogging for about two hours--although it felt like days--when they reached the end of the polar leopard's trail. Toph couldn't make out clear outlines, but they were at what appeared to be a pile of rocks.

"Is that a cave?" Suki wondered out loud. Toph tugged the laces on her boots loose and let her dirty feet sink into the freezing snow.

"I think so," she answered. "I can feel a space behind this pile of rocks. Come on." Able to sense her surroundings more clearly now, she moved to the front of the group as they investigated the polar leopard's apparent destination.

"I think this cave was collapsed recently. I can still feel the rocks shifting around."

Toph took a wide stance and swept away the pile of boulders that were blocking the mouth of the cave. It left a gaping hole that sloped underground. "There it is."

The group entered carefully, Toph occasionally blasting away rocks that were falling due to the cave's apparent instability. Eventually, they reached a large central room, with only the cave's exit branching off of it.

"Is this it?" Sokka asked in confusion. There was nothing of note here--No Katara, no Aang, nothing besides the occasional falling boulder to suggest that anyone had ever been here before.

"I can't feel any other parts to the cave. This is it," Toph answered in the same confused voice as Sokka.

"So where are they? Where's my sister?" There was a rising panic in Sokka's voice.

"I don't, know, Sokka!" Toph snapped.

"Calm down, both of you," Suki interjected coolly. "Fighting isn't going to help us find them. Let's see if we can find anything else outside the cave."

There wasn't anything immediately apparent outside the cave, either. There was only a thin layer of snow on top of the frozen ground, and a bit of pale green moss covering a few of the boulders. The landscape was otherwise devoid of life.

"Over here," called Suki. "Another set of polar leopard footprints. But they're going away from here."

The rest of the group came carefully over to Suki, taking care not to step on the evidence. Hakoda seemed disappointed when he saw the tracks.

"It doesn't matter," he said solemnly. "Look at the footprints leading here, and the footprints leading away. The ones leading away are much shallower. The polar leopard wasn't carrying anyone when it left."

"Should we follow it anyway?" Sokka wondered. Nobody answered.

"Wait," said Toph, digging her toes deeper into the snow. "I think I can feel something. Everybody stay quiet." A few seconds of silence passed, in which the earthbender was carefully watching the ground below.

Finally, she spoke. "There's someone under here." Bringing her hands together and then apart, Toph parted the ground beneath her like an earthen Red Sea. She had felt motion deep underground--was there some other cave system she had missed?

Toph leapt down into the widening ravine, creating rocky outcroppings to serve as rungs in a ladder. She was nearly on top of the person in the earth before she realized where they were. The person was inside of a tiny cave, a pocket barely large enough to fit their body. With a chill, Toph realized that it could only have had one purpose: an earthen coffin.

Splitting open the top of the pocket, she reached down with one hand to grab the person inside. They seemed relatively unharmed, judging by the strong heartbeat that Toph picked up through the earth.

By the time Toph had gotten a good sense of the shape of this person--a woman--the earthbender knew that it was neither Katara nor Aang who had been trapped in the earth below. The shape of the woman was frustratingly familiar, but Toph was unable to put a finger on it until she spoke.

"That polar leopard is an earthbender!" the woman spat with contempt.

"Azula!" Toph exclaimed, flinching backwards. She could hear murmuring from the group at the top of the newly-created ravine, and she could feel Suki climbing down to help her. Perhaps she could chi-block the powerful firebender.

"It tried to kill me just now! Hey, you up there! Suki, isn't it? Don't even think about trying anything. I've defeated you once and I'll do it again. You all need me," Azula asserted.

"How's that?" Toph snapped back.

"I'm the only person who knows where the Avatar and the waterbender are."

Toph's upper lip curled with contempt for Azula, but she said nothing as the firebender began climbing up out of the ravine using the rocky holds Toph had created. Azula was right. They needed her.

"Thanks for the earthbending, by the way. I would have blasted the rock away eventually, I'm sure, but you really sped up the process."

Toph rolled her milky-green eyes.

"What do you want, Azula?" she asked.

"Well, that's simple: I want an unmarked fishing boat, a month's supply of food and water, and three months' wages worth of money--Fire Nation or Earth Kingdom money, not your Water Tribe nonsense. I want a nonbender to sail out with me," Azula paused and gestured at Hakoda, "He'll do. He'll come unarmed, and the rest of you will stay on the shore. We'll sail out a few miles away from shore where I can't be attacked, I'll inform him of your friends' whereabouts, and then he will take a lifeboat back to shore, and I will be on my way."

It was a good plan, Toph had to admit.

\---

"It's so good to meet you!" Savannah said cheerily. "It's Kat, right?"

"Katara, actually," the waterbender corrected. She didn't see any point in using a fake name anymore. It was late in the afternoon the day after her audition, and apart from having been kicked by a few careless passers by, Katara's night on the sidewalk had been thankfully uneventful.

"Katara. That's a pretty name," Savannah remarked. Felicity had introduced Katara to Savannah, who would show her to where the troupe was staying and help her get situated. Savannah was one of the dog trainers, she had explained. The circus rehearsal had included a very entertaining show with about eight of the strange creatures, which Katara had found very entertaining.

"Thanks," Katara replied, smiling nervously.

"So for our other shows they usually book us hotel rooms for a few nights, but we stay in New York for seven months of the year, so we have a bunch of apartment units rented out. I don't think anyone has an extra bedroom, but there's a pullout couch in the apartment that Lena and I share--she's the other dog trainer, she's my girlfriend--so you can stay there. We're only here for another week so it shouldn't be too terrible for you. Is that okay?"

"Yeah, that's fine," said Katara, who wasn't exactly sure what a pullout couch was. "Thank you so much."

Katara was more concerned with another part of what Savannah had just said--that they were only in New York for another week. It didn't surprise Katara that this was a traveling circus, but she hadn't expected to leave this place so soon. She'd go along with it--maybe there were people outside New York City who would know how to get her back--but she didn't like that she'd have to quit her new job to get back to her starting point anytime soon.

The two were currently on the subway. Katara was hanging onto one of the poles, swaying unsteadily every time the train moved. Savannah had paid for her metro card. She was somewhat confused as to how Katara had been getting around New York City without riding the bus, metro, taxi, or car, but she hadn't asked too many questions so far.

Katara's confusion surrounding this new place was only growing. _How many machines can they possibly need to get people around?_ She wasn't so sure she loved being underground, either. She thought that maybe Toph would find it interesting, though.

Thinking about her friend didn't do too much to soothe her nerves. It only led her down a rabbit hole of theoretical catastrophes: _What if I have to stay here forever? What if I never see Toph again? What if I never see Aang again? I don't want to be in the circus for the rest of my life!_

It took Katara and Savannah about twenty minutes to travel from the circus tent, where Felicity and Katara had been working on fleshing out an act for her, to Savannah's apartment. As they passed the doors to other units, Savannah explained who lived there. "Okay, so 2B is...Marcus, I think...he's one of the jugglers, he has an act with Jamison and Grace, and they're in 3B and 5B." Katara's mind started to wander as Savannah continued rambling about the other members of the troupe. She could learn where everyone was staying some other time--it wasn't like she could read the unfamiliar symbols on the door, anyway.

"And we're here," Savannah announced near the end of the hallway, opening the door that read 12B (apparently) with a dramatic flourish. "I don't think Lena's home right now, so you can meet her later. Here, can you help me pull out the couch?" Savannah walked over to the sofa that was at the center of the living room and took off the cushions, revealing a handle underneath. _Oh, it's a bed._ The unfolded bed looked pretty comfortable--not quite like what Katara had at home, but a far cry better than the sidewalk last night.

"Do you need a shower? It's in the other room over here. And there's also a bath, if you want."

Katara was in desperate need of a bath. "Um...Savannah? Do you have any extra clothes I can borrow? Mine are..." She scrambled for an explanation. "Well...I had to leave home quickly and I wasn't able to bring anything." There. That was vague enough not to leave Savannah doubting her sanity.

"Oh, sure!" Savannah answered, her voice concerned. "I'll get you some of Lena's clothes, she's probably closer to your size. I'll leave some clothes outside the bathroom for you if you want to take a shower right now. We can go shopping right after if you want. There's this great thrift shop two blocks away. You can pay me back when you start getting paid."

Katara smiled in relief. "That would be great. Thank you so much, Savannah, that would be a huge help."

The shower inside the apartment was a little bit smaller than Katara's bath at home. She had never used a shower before: she'd heard Toph talking about one, but Toph's family was rich enough to hire a waterbender to make a storm every time they needed to wash up. Showers weren't exactly common.

Katara wasn't sure she liked the shower that much. It was nice and warm and made it easier for her to wash her hair, but it also felt like she was being attacked by an amateur waterbender who couldn't figure out how to turn a rain of water into ice. (This was a problem Katara encountered all too frequently with her students at the bending academy in Cranefish Town.) The clothes that Savannah had left for her, while they would blend in much better than Water Tribe furs, were strange, too. The black, stretchy pants were comfortable but tight around her legs, and the shirt, although it covered her stomach, felt short compared to the long robe that she normally wore.

At least she could still wear her jewelry. The people she had observed so far in this world wore all sorts of it. Katara felt a flash of anxiety when she saw her betrothal necklace in the mirror. She wasn't sure if Aang was safe. Why would Azula have taken Katara, if not to get to Aang?

Katara brushed out her wet hair with a hairbrush sitting on the bathroom counter, and secured a bit of her hair into its signature loops. It gave her some semblance of normality, although not much.

She came out of the bathroom to find Savannah sitting on the edge of the fold out bed, watching a screen with moving pictures on it. Katara was struck with confusion again. _Is this some sort of machine, or is it bending?_ Just when she thought she was starting to figure this world out.

"Hey, Katara!" Savannah greeted her. "Lena just got home, she's over in the kitchen. Come over here, Lena!" she called. Katara looked towards the kitchen to see Lena walking towards them.

"Hi, Katara! I'm Lena-although, I mean, Savannah just told you that," Lena stuttered and laughed nervously. She seemed much more shy than her bubbly girlfriend. The two appeared to be opposites in appearance, too: Lena was tall, thin, and had straight, dark hair where Savannah was short, full-figured, and had curly blonde hair that seemed to grow in every direction imaginable.

"Hi, Lena," Katara returned her greeting, along with her nervous tone of voice.

"So, Katara, did you want to go to that thrift store now for some clothes or watch TV for a little while first?" Savannah asked, gesturing to the moving screen.

"Maybe we could go get clothes first? I don't want to steal all of Lena's," Katara said, flashing the slightly-older woman a guilty smile.

"Great! This'll be fun! Are you coming with, Lena?" Savannah asked.

"Sure," Lena responded.

"Oh, and Katara," Savannah said. "Just so I don't forget. I don't know when your time of the month is supposed to be, but just so you know, we keep all the products in the bathroom cabinet, lower left drawer right by the toilet."

"Thanks," Katara responded with an awkward smile.

She had just realized something.

\---

Aang wanted to stay in this library forever.

He had found it a few hours after he woke up on the street in this new world. It wasn't quite Wan Shi Tong's library, but other than that, it was the biggest library Aang had ever seen, and, even better, it came without the hostile, murderous spirit owl!

He had come across a bit of a problem in actually reading the books. They were written in the same script that most of the street signs seemed to be in: one that was completely unintelligible to him. He decided that it wouldn't be unreasonable to ask for help, though. Aang had seen a few street signs with characters that he was able to recognize, so he knew that they at least existed in this world. The librarian had helped show him how to use the translator on what was called a computer. Apparently what was called "Standard" in Aang's world was "Chinese" in this one. He filed that information away in his brain.

He had spent most of the previous day inside the library, looking for information on portals and alternate dimensions, but had left empty handed when the library closed. He was back again today, poring through the "mythology" section. He hadn't had any success, so far. He was mostly relying on the pictures, anyway, to discern what he should and shouldn't take the time to type into the translator. Matching the letters on the page to those on the computer keyboard took forever. It wasn't the best system.

"Attention. The 53rd Street Library will be closing in five minutes." The disembodied voice seemed to be coming through a box mounted to the ceiling. Aang didn't question it. This new world had all kinds of confusing machines, and the airbender would rather focus on getting home than on trying to understand them.

Flipping through pages a little faster, Aang made a frustrated sound in the back of his throat. He had been searching since the library opened this morning--and he was getting pretty hungry--but he still hadn't found anything promising.

Frustrated and disappointed, Aang left the library and started heading down the sidewalk towards the church that was a few blocks away. The librarian had suggested it to him when he said he needed help and a place to stay. "The homeless shelters are usually full, but a lot of the churches are charitable and let you stay there as long as you need, as long as you're out before service. And I can find the address of a nearby soup kitchen if you're looking for something to eat," the bespectacled old man had offered.

Aang had been so grateful for the help--he had slept in a church the night before, and they had even given him a few fresh pairs of clothes. The people of this place--New York City, they called it--were _so friendly!_ Although, apparently Aang's Air Nomad garb was odd to everyone who saw it--he had even been stopped by a puzzled-looking teenage boy who asked him who he was cosplaying.

Aang thought that they were the strange ones--the churches especially. They all seemed to be dedicated to one particular spirit who never visited the place in person. They had monks and nuns, too, but when Aang had excitedly asked if there were many airbenders around, they just stared at him in confusion.

_Are there no benders here?_ Aang thought incredulously.

He laid down in a pew in the back row and spread his Air Nomad robe over him like a blanket. He was getting more and more anxious with every hour he spent in this world, but he took a deep breath and forced himself to remain calm. Maybe it wouldn't be today, maybe it wouldn't even be tomorrow, but he would find Katara, and she would be safe and unharmed, and the baby would be fine.

And then, together, they would find a way out of here.


	5. Another World?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short summary of last chapter:
> 
> -Toph and company find Azula underground (alive) at the cave. Did something happen with Kenchi?
> 
> -Azula agrees to tell Toph where Katara and Aang are in exchange for letting her escape.
> 
> -Katara is bunking with dog trainers Savannah and Lena for the next week.
> 
> -Katara realizes she might be pregnant.
> 
> -Aang is sleeping in a church and using a public library to try and research portals/alternate dimensions during the day. A weird plan? Yes. The only plot idea that I could think of at the time? Also yes.

"What do you mean, another world?"

Sokka, Hakoda, Suki, Toph, Kanna, and several members of the Southern Water Tribe city council were all sitting around a table in the town hall. Hakoda had just returned from the fishing boat that he and the city council had decided to give to Azula--they'd agreed to cooperate with the Fire Nation princess, as the disappearance of the Avatar was an issue that could affect the entire world.

Sokka was staring incredulously at Hakoda, who held up both hands and shrugged his shoulders to signify that he, too, was at a loss. "That's all Azula told me. She said that they crossed through the portal and then the spirit polar leopard destroyed it afterwards. She wouldn't tell me why. It seemed like she was telling the truth."

Toph cut in. "Azula is the best liar I've ever met, so we shouldn't rule that out. But I don't know--if she was going to lie, wouldn't she have come up with a more believable story?"

Hakoda nodded. "That's what I was thinking. Do we know anything about the existence of any other worlds? Or any portals to them? If it's connected to the spirit world, then it makes sense that we've never heard of it." There were murmurs of assent around the table.

"We should send a messenger hawk to Fire Lord Zuko," Sokka offered. "If Azula knew about this, then he might, too. We should also request another interrogation of Ozai."

"That's a good idea," Hakoda responded. "Let's start drafting that right now. And encode the message with some sort of cipher. We can tell Zuko the whole story, but let's make sure this doesn't spread. We don't want to let everyone know the Avatar's gone. It would start a panic."

After the message was sent, the group plus the city council started to make their way back to the cave where Azula had been found.

But just like before, they found nothing.

After three days of unsuccessful investigation, Toph decided to return to her Earth Kingdom metalbending academy. They were still waiting for a reply from Zuko, but she didn't think she would be able to help anymore in the Southern Water Tribe. She had agreed to be a halfway point between the Southern Water Tribe and Fire Kingdom, sending messages on from both sides (via one of her seeing students) so that she would be updated and could help from the Earth Kingdom, but she wasn't sure what else she could do. Toph also felt sorry for Appa, lonely and cold in his earth tent with no sunlight and no Aang. The sky bison was reluctant to leave without the airbender, but Toph explained to him what had happened and Appa seemed to understand.

"Yip, yip," said Toph, her voice lacking enthusiasm. She trusted that Appa knew where to go--she was truly blind on the sky bison's back, so she wouldn't be able to guide him.

"Don't worry, Appa," Toph said as they left. "We'll find Twinkle Toes."

But she wasn't so sure.

\---

Azula sat in a brooding silence as her small ship bobbed up and down through a short section of choppy waves. Kenchi had just tried to kill her. Azula was frustrated at the betrayal, but not exactly surprised. The polar leopard's short speech to her before he buried her in rocks had made sense. Ozai's Fire Nation hadn't respected the spirit world, Kenchi explained. Ozai had held channels between the spirit and living world, like Roku's temple, hostage when spirits refused to help him find the Avatar. "How can we be sure you wouldn't treat us just like your precious father did?" Kenchi had asked mockingly, before burying Azula in rubble with a sweep of his paw.

She still had no clue how Kenchi was able to earthbend. His ability to manipulate the physical world by transporting Katara and Aang had baffled her, too. But even Azula did not have an answer for that.

She wasn't sure where she was going to go next. She could probably survive in this boat for a while: she had plenty of food and water, and Azula had taken the time to learn some nautical navigation techniques during her own hunt for the Avatar, suspecting they might be useful at some point in the future. Although she never could have imagined using them in this situation.

Oh, what she wouldn't give to be fourteen-year-old Azula again. She would have made sure to finish the Avatar off while she still had the chance.

But she wasn't that girl anymore. Now she was just an exiled, fugitive princess who had been betrayed by someone who wasn't even human. Wasn't even alive. What could she even do now? She couldn't continue with her plan of a military coup, not without angering a large portion of the spirit world. Azula may have been power hungry, but she wasn't an idiot. Her former plan was no longer an option.

She couldn't return to the Earth Kingdom family she had been staying with, either. In the past, they had refrained from asking too many questions about Azula's past, but she suspected that disappearing suddenly and showing up again a month later with a fishing boat and no explanation for how she got it would provoke suspicion. The firebender's options were not looking too great.

At least she was no longer deluding herself.

Azula was suddenly struck with an idea. She hadn't told Hakoda the full extent of her involvement with the kidnappings: she could still play innocent. She would say that she had been kidnapped, too, that she had no idea what the polar leopard's motives had been. Then, she could negotiate for her amnesty in exchange for opening the portal back up. She had no idea how to make this happen, but she did know that Ozai had studied it more extensively than her. If it could be closed, surely it could be opened again.

She checked her compass and adjusted the sail of her boat slightly. She wasn't headed to the Earth Kingdom anymore. She was sailing towards the Fire Nation now. She was going to see her father.

Pleased with herself, Azula opened a bin of food and helped herself to a piece of seal jerky.

_This stuff is harder than a rock!_

\---

Katara sorted through the clothing rack, building a pile of clothes on her forearm. She was reminded vaguely of the time that she, Toph, Sokka, and Aang had stolen Fire Nation clothes off some poor family's clothesline to disguise themselves during the war. She was chatting with Savannah and Lena and trying to enjoy herself, but failing miserably. This might have been fun under different circumstances, but right now, there was just too much on Katara's mind.

"This would be cute on you!" Savannah exclaimed, holding up a striped crop top that looked to be about Katara's size. She nodded enthusiastically. It wasn't any sort of shirt that Katara would have worn back home, but she was willing to give it a chance. Building the perfect wardrobe wasn't exactly the waterbender's biggest concern at the moment.

Katara was more worried about whether or not that crop top would fit her in a few months, so to speak. Back home, she would have been dancing with excitement at the realization that she might be pregnant. Sure, it wasn't the perfect time, but it would have just meant that Katara's plans for the future were coming to fruition sooner than expected.

Here, though? Well, Katara had no one here, except for Savannah and Lena, maybe, both of whom she had known for less than a day. She had no home here, and she wasn't sure about the long-term prospects of waterbending for a traveling circus. 

She felt suddenly sick. 

_How didn't I notice this earlier?_

Katara wasn't sure what to do about her new secret. She had heard something about not eating fish, maybe? She left that ingredient off of the grocery list when Savannah sent her shopping the next day--the circus crew and performers all received stipends for living expenses, and Katara, Savannah, and Lena were pooling theirs together for the next week to make shopping easier.

Two more days passed, and Katara was gradually becoming accustomed to life in this different world. She still encountered things that were unfamiliar to her nearly every hour, like the scanner at the grocery store, the unfamiliar numbers that signified price at the grocery store--well, really, everything about the grocery store. But she figured that she'd have everything mostly figured out before too long--she already knew the difference between trains, cars, buses, and the subway, and what could be more complicated than that?

During most of the day, Katara had been working with Felicity to choreograph her waterbending act. At first, while the costume department was working on designing something for her, she would wear her Southern Water Tribe furs during the performance. They looked very "magical," according to Felicity. Katara's first live performance would happen the day after tomorrow. She would only perform three days of shows while they were still in New York City before the troupe moved on.

Now that Katara had spent three days in this new world and seen no sign of a way back, she wasn't as apprehensive about traveling around with the circus. She would meet a lot of new people in her travels; maybe she would find someone to help her, she reasoned. Maybe someone who knew about her world would see her and notice that she was actually waterbending and they would talk to her and be able to help her. It was far-fetched, Katara knew. But it was the only plan she had so far.

On Katara's fourth day in New York City, she, Savannah, and Lena were up before sunrise, just like they had been for the last few days. They had mornings rehearsals: the practices were daily and ran until midday. Then they were replaced by the afternoon rehearsals, which ran until late afternoon, and then the live show would start. The morning and afternoon practices switched monthly, Savannah had explained. The next switch was in three weeks.

The thought of being in this world for three more weeks, or even for longer, made Katara feel even more sick than she already was. She would have to tell her hosts at some point, she decided. She'd have to tell them, and just cross her fingers that it didn't endanger her employment, or if it did, that they could keep a secret.

She blurted it out that morning at breakfast, when they were all sat around the kitchen's island. She was having trouble just choking down a glass of orange juice. "I think I might be pregnant."

Savannah looked like she was about to spit out her orange juice. There was surprise on Lena's face, too, but she didn't tend to show as much emotion outwardly.

"Really?" Savannah responded. She sounded as if she was trying to keep her tone casual. "Do you know for sure?"

"Is that why you had to leave home?" Lena interrupted. It was the first time Katara had known the shy woman to do so. "Were you in trouble?"

Katara shook her head. "No. I didn't really have a choice in leaving home," she answered vaguely. Although, she could share this: "I have a fiance. I have no idea where he is, but I'm looking for him."

A few beats of uncomfortable silence passed at the table. "Can you tell us anything else? Maybe we can help," Savannah prompted gently.

Katara wanted to. She wanted to tell them the story of the war with the Fire Nation, the story of her and Aang, the story of how she got here. But she also wanted the pair to see her as someone who was still in possession of at least most of her marbles. "I can't tell you. I wish I could. I'm sorry."

"Do you know for sure?" Savannah repeated. "Have you taken a test?"

"No." There's a test? If she were home, Katara probably would have gone to Toph and asked her if she could feel a heartbeat. But, alas, she was not home.

"Well, we should start with that. Lena, could you go to the pharmacy and pick up one or two? There should be enough money left in the stipend. If not, Katara can just pay us back later."

Katara and Lena both nodded, and Lena got up from the table. "I'll meet you both at rehearsals; there might not be enough time to meet back here before."

Katara and Savannah left right behind Lena. "If we get there early, we can get into the arena before the trapeze artists start their rehearsal. They always take forever," the dog trainer remarked. "How is your act coming along?"

"It's good! Felicity says I can start performing in the show in two days."

"That's great! You know, I still haven't seen you performing yet. My break time is always during your practice block. I'll come watch today."

"Yeah, sure!" Katara answered. The two were on the sidewalk now, walking towards the nearest subway station. Katara took a breath. "Do you think they'll let me keep working here? If I'm pregnant. I don't know what other job I would even be able to get."

Savannah gave the waterbender an odd look. "Yes, of course! Your act isn't dangerous, is it? You don't use anything hazardous to move around the water?"

Katara shook her head.

"Then you're fine!"

"Okay, good." Katara breathed a sigh of relief. She hated that she was thinking so far in advance now, but she knew that leaving her job prospects up to chance while she had little to no plan for getting home was not the smartest idea.

"Are you excited? About having a baby?"

Savannah's question prompted a flutter of happiness in Katara, a brief hint of what she knew she would be feeling in full force if she were home right now.

"Yeah, I am," Katara answered. "I mean, it's an absolutely terrible time for me," she laughed slightly. "But I'm excited. If I'm even pregnant."

Savannah shrugged. "So it's a win-win either way. If you are, you're having a baby. If you're not, you get to wait until the time's right."

"That's a disgustingly optimistic way to look at this," Katara teased. But she's right, the waterbender realized.

Katara didn't get to take the test until after their practice. Lena hadn't had time to give it to her before rehearsal, and then their breaks didn't line up.

"Lena and I wanted to see the art museum this year before we left New York, so that's where we'll be," Savannah told Katara. "We'll meet you back at the apartment?"

"Sounds good," Katara replied. Truthfully, she felt nervous about being alone again. But she didn't want to bother the people who had already been so accommodating to her. Lena handed her the test and they went their separate ways.

When Savannah and Lena returned, Katara was sitting at the kitchen island, reading a newspaper she had found on her way back home. It was written in the characters she was used to at home, which was a relief. She thought it would be a good way to start figuring this world out, but there was almost too much going on to keep track of.

"Hey, Katara," Savannah greeted her. She got right down to business. "Did you take the test?"

Katara smiled nervously. "Yeah. I couldn't read it, though. We use different characters for writing where I'm from. But I think it might be broken. There were two little screens on it, and there were lines on both of them."

Savannah smiled and shook her head. "Nope. Not broken."


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW for this chapter: Self-harm (for the purpose of a healing demonstration)
> 
> A short summary of last chapter:
> 
> -The rest of the gaang have had no luck finding Aang and Katara.
> 
> -Toph is taking Appa back home.
> 
> -Azula has a new plan to figure out how to reopen the portal in exchange for amnesty.
> 
> -Katara realizes she is pregnant.

Azula was really taking a risk, docking her fishing boat in the royal family's private marina. She didn't know what else to do, though. She wanted to save the money she had taken with her, as she wouldn't be able to get more until she found work somewhere, which could take a while. She was also nervous about talking to the owner of another dock to make the transaction, as she was still a wanted fugitive.

But there were enough boats there that--hopefully--hers wouldn't be noticed.

It was very early in the morning when Azula arrived--the perfect time of day, she figured. Early enough that no one would be around to see her, but not so early that a boat arriving in the middle of the night would stir up suspicion.

The large tower of the Capital City Prison seemed to loom above the palace from Azula's vantage point. She knew from experience that it was less visible from the city, but she was grateful for its clear visibility to her now. Azula had continued to form her plan during the rest of her journey to the Fire Kingdom, and eventually decided to take a leaf out of her brother's book and disguise herself as a guard. It had been disconcertingly easy to steal a uniform from the laundry facilities, which were, for some reason, outside of the prison itself. _Is Zuko_ trying _to compromise this place's security?_

Azula waited quietly outside the prison's entrance, pretending to browse the several market stalls that were set up outside for staff and visitors. On a whim, she purchased several items of makeup from a street vendor and did her makeup in the vendor's mirror right there and then. If she put on enough to be unrecognizable, Azula wouldn't have to suspiciously draw her hood over her face anymore.

She was waiting to find a prison guard that looked somewhat like her. Once she did, she asked the woman to come help her, there were some kids fighting with fire in this alley over here. When the woman was out of the view of the public, Azula stunned her with a low-powered burst of lightning and moved her to behind a stack of pallets, where she wouldn't be seen. She would probably be fine. _Probably._ Azula reached inside the woman's pocket to retrieve her identification card, which she knew was necessary to enter the prison as a guard. Her name was Lula. The name seemed almost inappropriate, too bubbly and friendly for a prison guard.

Over the rest of that day, Azula's plan gradually fell into place. She was relieved to have something work out for once. She infiltrated the prison, ascertained the whereabouts of Ozai's cell and told him of her plan to break him out. During the prisoners' transition from their cells to the yard, Azula used lightning to blast a gaping hole in the side of the prison that faced the ocean. She and Ozai jumped into the water to cushion their falls, swam back to the beach and ran to where Azula's boat was anchored. It took them a while to gain speed on their way out of the marina, but Azula was able to easily fight off the guards that came after her. Most of them were preoccupied, anyway, with making sure that more prisoners didn't escape through the hole in the wall.

Easy peasy.

Ozai had been silent for most of the escape. He seemed pleased to be escaping from that horrible prison, of course, but he had never been able to make easy conversation with his daughter.

But he was the first one to speak up on the boat, as the Capital City Prison's central tower disappeared into the mist.

"What do you need me for?"

"Hmm?" Azula responded innocently.

"It's been six years since the war ended. You've been free for a long time now, I know that. I hear guards talk. Why only come for me now? What do you need me for?"

Azula didn't attempt to beat around the bush. Perhaps she could have convinced any other person that the time just wasn't right before now, but that she did truly care about them. Fear was the only reliable way to control someone, but adoration didn't hurt. Her father, though, was the only person who had never particularly cared about Azula's approval, except when it had served him.

"Something has gone wrong with the portal in the Southern Water Tribe. I need to know how to open it again."

"Ah," Ozai said, sounding almost pleased at his daughter's failure. "I warned you to be careful with that."

"Spare me the lecture, Father. How do I open it?"

Ozai's face twisted into a scowl. "You've betrayed me by leaving me to rot in that prison for all these years. Why should I help you?"

Azula was suddenly filled with rage. He couldn't use her emotions to manipulate her anymore. Any desire that the firebender still had for her father's approval had long since drained away after his disastrous performance in the war. The Fire Nation had lost, and it was Ozai's fault. He had been weak.

"How's this?" Azula asked testily. She let lightning flicker between her open palms. "You tell me how to open the portal, and I let you go free. Tell me how to open it, and I don't kill you right now."

That was an offer that the now-powerless Ozai couldn't refuse. His scowl deepened. "Fine. Now, I was never able to confirm any of this for myself. The portal wasn't my biggest concern at the time. But Commander Zhao was aware of the portal as well, and when he visited that library in the desert, he took several scrolls on the subject back with him. Apparently, there were two portals: One in the North, which we never bothered to find, and one in the South. Both of the portals were at the exact poles. The southern one is open all the time, as you know. But the northern one, for some reason I can't remember, is only open for three days starting on a seasonal blue moon."

"Well, when's the next blue moon?"

"I don't know," Ozai snapped. "There's not exactly an abundance of moon charts inside a Fire Nation maximum security prison."

Azula made a frustrated sound in the back of her throat, not sure how to use the new information that her father had given her. The search for her may have slowed down over the past year and a half as she successfully resisted arrest, but after the escape of such a high-profile prisoner from a maximum security prison, it was sure to be back in full swing again. She couldn't exactly dock in the nearby Earth Kingdom, wander into a market, and buy a moon chart. "Oh! I think there's one in the cabin!"

Azula left Ozai alone while she went to go retrieve the chart. She wasn't exactly worried about him now that he had passed on the necessary information-the worst thing he could do was jump overboard and drown. The firebender felt a glow of satisfaction as she located a chart taped to the wall in her sleeping quarters by one of the ship's past occupants. It was up to date.

The princess left the cabin, waving the moon chart in the air to signify her victory. "It's exactly three months from now."

"Good. Now you have what you need. I'd like to be dropped off somewhere in the Earth Kingdom. Somewhere rural. I don't want to be captured again right after my escape."

Azula laughed. "Father, you of all people should realize what a terrible idea that is. Why would I let you go now that I have the information I need? What's stopping you from repeating this information to someone else?"

Ozai looked down at Azula, scowling again. "What are you going to do, then? Kill me?"

Azula smirked.

The burst of lightning from her hands was so powerful that he didn't have time to feel it before he was gone.

\---

Aang was starting to lose hope.

He had been in New York City for almost a week now, and had given up on his library idea two days ago. Everything that bore even the slightest references to bending and portals was obviously fiction. Aang was pretty sure now that bending didn't even exist in this world. After he left the library, he had spent the last two days wandering the streets of New York City, trying to find Katara. He had gone back to where he'd woken up. He'd walked the streets and the avenues and he had even taken an unsettling journey into the huge, gaping hole in the ground that led to the "subway." He had not had any luck, but at least he still had a place to sleep. The monks even let him go in their quarters to use the shower (another very strange and confusing invention).

Aang was starting to get really hungry--one meal a day from the soup kitchen was not exactly adequate--so he finally decided to start looking for a job. He went back to the library and asked for help. The librarian, whose name was Paul, had been helpful before, so Aang crossed his fingers that he could be again.

Paul had set Aang up with something called a tablet that he used a special pen to write on. It put the characters he intended to search onto the computer screen, and then he didn't even need to use the translator. Paul helped the airbender start a search for entry-level jobs in the area that didn't require a high school diploma. Aang still wasn't entirely sure what that was, but he definitely knew he didn't have it. His formal education amounted to some simple arithmetic and writing instruction from the monks, the bending instruction that he had received on his journey during the war, and the two days he had spent undercover in a Fire Nation school.

There was hardly anything that didn't require a high school diploma or previous experience, Aang soon realized. Could _anything_ go right for him in this world?

Frustrated and a little bored, Aang decided to use the computer to do the research he had been using books for over the past several days. _Are there portals to another world?_ He typed. He scrolled through some of the results, intrigued by the answers. But the final verdict, it seemed, was no. Aang searched for a few more terms, not entirely sure how this whole thing worked. _Katara. Bending. Airbending. Avatar._ That last one garnered the most interesting search results, he thought. It was a fictional movie ( _was that like a play?_ ) about blue aliens. It was fascinating. But it was also entirely unhelpful.

Aang's last search term, however, waterbending, brought something up.

An image of a flyer was the first thing to pop up on Aang's screen. It showed a picture of a circus performance: a row of unfamiliar animals rearing in the air, overlaid with the image of an acrobat. He almost clicked off of the page, but decided to take the time to type the caption into the translator. He was starting to get better at this!

_Get your tickets today! The Vertigo Valley Circus is leaving New York City after one more day of performance! It's not too late to see our famous horse show, our dizzying trapeze artists, and our all-new waterbending performance!_

Suddenly, Aang was full of hope again. It was too much of a coincidence to not be Katara. He clicked on the map image and directions popped up. It was close to the library!

He nervously ran a hand over his head, which was starting to grow more hair than he would have liked. It reminded him of his days in the Fire Nation disguised as Kuzon. But now that he knew where Katara was, he couldn't bring himself to care. She was okay. She was safe. She was even figuring out how to function in this ridiculously complicated world!

Aang felt like singing.

\---

"Katara, your performance today was amazing! How did you do it? Was that real water?"

Katara, Savannah, Lena, and fellow troupe member Jamison, were sitting around the table in Jamison's apartment, sharing a dinner of chicken that Katara had cooked. It wasn't the best meal she had ever made, but she managed not to mess it up. The meat reminded her of Arctic hen.

Savannah's question, though well-intended, frustrated Katara. She was beginning to get a little tired of no one seeing her power as legitimate. Could these people not see bending if it was staring them in the face?

"Thanks. It's called waterbending," she explained for the umpteenth time. "It's pretty common where I'm from." That was only sort of true. "Look," she said, holding a hand over her water glass, bringing it up into the air, and turning it into ice. "See?"

The other three people at the table seemed much more shocked than they had when Katara bent water during her first circus performance that night--which had gone pretty well, all things considered. "Wait, so you don't need any special equipment or anything to do it? How does it work?" Jamison asked.

Katara sighed deeply. "It's waterbending! It's just something I can do." She had an idea. She'd demonstrate her healing again--that had seemed to get Felicity a little shaken up, at least. "Here, look. I used to do this for practice when I was a beginner." Katara wiped off the knife that she had been using for her chicken and slashed open a cut on her lower arm. It hurt more than she remembered, but she hadn't had to practice this way for a long time. There were always plenty of people in the new air temple in need of healing.

There was a general uproar around the table. Even Lena was shouting. "Calm down!" Katara said, blood running down into the palm of her hand. She laid the knife gingerly back on her plate and put her napkin underneath her arm so that the blood wouldn't drip. "It's fine. Look." She carefully held a handful of floating water up to the gash, which disappeared completely within five seconds, along with most of the blood. Katara dabbed at the remaining drops with her napkin and held up her healed skin for their inspection.

"I can heal with it. See? It's not a trick."

There was an uncomfortable period of total silence at the table. Katara crumpled up the bloody napkin and put it at the center of her plate. She had been pretty much finished with her chicken, anyway.

"What the hell?" Savannah was the first to speak. "How can you do that?"

"A lot of waterbenders are able to heal, too."

"Okay, you need to tell us the whole story. Where are you from, anyway?" Jamison asked.

Katara laughed nervously. "Honestly, if I tell you the whole story, you'll think I'm insane."

"Well, that healing thing is insane, too, but it's obviously real. Tell us," said Jamison.

She blew out a breath. "It's a pretty long story. I've been a waterbender my whole life. If you're not born with bending, you don't have it. It's normal to have waterbending in my tribe. Or at least it used to be, until the Fire Nation attacked. I know you haven't heard of the Fire Nation. Just let me explain."

And Katara did explain. She explained how she was from a different world. She told them about the four elements. She explained how the waterbenders had been captured from her tribe when she was a child. She explained how her mother had laid down her life for her. Katara told them about Aang, about Toph, about Sokka and Zuko and Azula and Appa and Ozai. She told them about the war, and its end. She told them about the new air temple that she and Aang had brought to life, about her occupations as a teacher and a healer. She told them about her engagement, and she told them about being forced through the portal.

"So I was wandering through New York City," she explained at the end of her story. "No idea where to go or what to do, and Mitch saw me bending, and one thing led to another, and now I'm here. Whew," Katara let out a breath. "I've never told the whole story all at once before. It's pretty long." She laughed.

The group was speechless again, until Savannah spoke. "Wow. You know it's a crazy story when the fact that you're from a completely different world isn't the most important detail," she said.

"You don't believe me?" Katara asked, a hint of dread growing in her stomach.

"No, I-can you show me the waterbending again?"

Katara took water from Savannah's glass this time, curling it over the other woman's head like a snake. "Tell me what to do with it."

"Um...shape it like a horse." Katara gritted her teeth, struggling to get the water to actually look like a horse before freezing it.

"That might not be great. We don't have horses in my world, so I don't remember too well what they look like."

"No, that's fine. That's-wow. I believe you," said Savannah, and Katara felt a rush of relief.

"So you think your fiance is in this world?" Lena asked.

"I don't know. Maybe. I almost hope he is. If he's not in this world, he's in danger. I can't think of why Azula would want me to go through the portal other than as bait for him."

"Wow," Savannah repeated.

"But I've looked for him. I've been wandering the streets during the afternoons trying to see if I can find him. I've sent jets of water up into the air at random places to see if he'd notice. But I haven't found anything. I'm starting to think he's not here."

"What are you going to do?" Savannah asked.

Katara suddenly had to fight back tears, but she managed to keep it together. She hardly ever cried. "I don't know. I was hoping that there would be someone else in this world who had gone through the portal and knew something about it. I was thinking maybe someone would see me bending during a performance and come talk to me about it. Other than that, I have no plan." She shrugged.

Savannah laughed suddenly, and then returned to a sober facial expression. "Sorry. That was inappropriate. I was just thinking, you really weren't kidding when you said it was a terrible time to have a baby, huh?"

Katara joined in laughing. "No, I was not. But I'm happy about it. Even if I don't get out of this world, I'll have some reminder of Aang. And I won't be alone." She put a hand to her stomach.

"You'll get out," Lena declared confidently. "If you can help end a war, you can figure this out. And you're not alone. You have us now."

Katara smiled back at Lena. She missed Aang more than ever right now. But the dark-haired woman's assurance of friendship made Katara feel just a little bit more secure about her place in this strange and frightening world.

"So do they have doctors in your world?" Savannah asked.

Katara nodded. "Doctors and healers. Doctors help with herbs and splints and things and healers, like me, help with waterbending."

"Hmm. The doctors that we have here are a little bit different. They can be really helpful if you're going to have a baby. There's a free clinic near here for people who don't have insurance or documentation. We should take you tomorrow after rehearsals."

"I didn't know. That would be great," Katara said thankfully. It felt freeing to finally have an explanation for why she had no idea how things worked here.

"Don't worry, Katara," Savannah said comfortingly. "It's going to be okay."

And it would be.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a short summary of last chapter:
> 
> -Azula breaks Ozai out of prison to get information from him.
> 
> -He tells her that there will be a portal to the other world open for three days at the North Pole starting on the next blue moon, which is three months away.
> 
> -Azula kills Ozai to prevent him from spreading the valuable information.
> 
> -Aang comes across a flyer for Katara's circus online and realizes that she must be their waterbender.
> 
> -Katara convinces Savannah, Lena, and Jamison that she is a real waterbender and tells them her story.
> 
> Enjoy!

Toph's journey home was terrifying.

Not terrifying in the "danger" sense, thankfully. At least, not so far. She and Appa hadn't hit any rough storms or been attacked by any flying sea monsters. Toph just hated flying.

She thought that it wouldn't be that bad--while she hated not being able to see in the air during her wartime travels, Toph had always endured it just fine. But she quickly discovered that it was only fine when there were other people on Appa with her to keep her updated on what was going on. All Toph got when she was alone with the sky bison was the occasional bellow, which only served to make her more uneasy. Did Appa see land? Was there something dangerous going on? Was he just passing gas? Toph had no clue.

Appa's latest grunt made Toph even more nervous. Was she hearing things, or was the pitch of it lower than normal? She took a deep breath when she felt the bison starting to descend. She really hoped that meant they were home already.

But that's just what Toph was thinking. Here's a little insight into what Appa was thinking:

_Oh, there's a ship down below! With people on it! What was that blue light? Oh no. It's the bad woman who hurt Aang. Oh, she just killed someone else! She's so terrible. I could tell that she was lying to my family on the beach. She had a dishonest voice. Oh! She knows how to save Aang! She can tell us!_

Sky bison, as it turns out, are even better lie detectors than Tophs. Sky bison are also not always completely understanding of what a bad idea it is to land on the deck of an extremely powerful and dangerous firebender when the earthbender on your back has no idea what's going on.

Staying quiet and trying to sense her surroundings, Toph slid off Appa once he landed and settled her feet over the surface beneath her. She was instantly filled with dread. This wasn't earth. This was wood. She was on a ship, and, apart from being able to sense a few bits of metal here and there, she was completely blind.

Toph jumped when she heard a familiar voice. "Looking for me?" The small pit of dread in the earthbender's chest expanded, wrapping tendrils around her lungs and making it hard to breathe. Stay calm, Toph, she told herself. Act natural.

She forced a smile onto her face. "Azula! So nice to see you," she greeted the firebender sarcastically, wiggling her toes for emphasis. Even if she couldn't tell what was around her, she could at least try and bluff her way through.

"Is it?" Azula responded. "How were you able to tell it was me from up there on that sky bison?"

"Oh, I can communicate with Appa by feeling the vibrations he makes when he grunts," Toph responded. "He told me you were down here." It was a lie that she had used before to prank Aang--not a very good one, but it wasn't implausible that it would work on someone who didn't understand how her powers worked.

The lie didn't work on Azula, although she did not let Toph realize this. There was ample evidence available to the firebender that Toph had no idea what was going on. Otherwise, she would have noticed the freshly dead body of Ozai that laid smoking on the deck on the other side of the ship.

"What are you here for, then?" Azula sneered. Toph took a deep breath and rolled her eyes, pretending to be arrogant to buy herself some time. She had no clue why Appa had landed on the ship of a dangerous fugitive who had already given them all the information she could.

"Want to tell her, Appa?" Toph sneered back, still trying to buy time. The sky bison lowed loudly in response while the earthbender wracked her brain for an explanation that wouldn't end with her tossed overboard or electrocuted. _Why had Appa landed here? Did Azula know something she hadn't told them? Aha,_ she finally thought. _That's it._

"I've been looking for you, Azula, because I know you have more information than you told us at the Southern Water Tribe. The tribe's city council and I have come to an agreement with Fire Lord Zuko. He is prepared to offer you full amnesty within the Fire Nation in exchange for the information you've been withholding from us, under the stipulation that your information leads to the recovery of Avatar Aang and Master Katara."

 _Would Zuko really give Azula amnesty?_ Toph wondered. She wasn't sure. She'd save that worry for another day.

Azula was smiling, although Toph couldn't tell. "I do have more information," the firebender responded. "I can give it directly to my brother, since he's been so kind as to offer me amnesty. Perhaps you and your air beast could accompany me to visit him. Is he still in the Capital City?"

All sorts of colorful words were running through Toph's thoughts at that moment. She continued the bluff. "Well, I'd be happy to accompany you back to the Fire Nation. I'm sure Fire Lord Zuko will be waiting for you there."

"Wonderful," Azula responded. She didn't have senses like Toph's, but she was reasonably certain now that there was no offer of amnesty. Otherwise, Toph would have mentioned the Capital City jailbreak. "And, Toph, was this amnesty conditional on returning the prisoner that I took from the Capital City Prison? Because he's already dead."

"Hmm?" _Oh no,_ Toph realized. _My bluff didn't work._

"Oh!" Azula exclaimed suddenly, her expression delighted. "I don't think that's a big problem, actually. Whoever orchestrated this amnesty offer shouldn't be too torn up over that prisoner. Because I have another one right here, don't I?"

Toph flinched and moved to bend the random pieces of metal that she could sense around her. _Damnit, why is this ship made completely out of wood?_ Maybe she couldn't see Azula, but she could blindly swing at her with the small amount of metal that she was able to find. "Don't even think about it," the earthbender said coldly.

Gathering all the metal on the ship to a central location quickly turned out to be a huge mistake. With a sharp blast of lightning, Azula knocked the only weapon that Toph had off the ship. "That's too bad," the princess remarked nonchalantly. "You bent my bronze necklace right off my neck. I liked that necklace. Just got it a few months ago." Toph felt a cold hand on her arm, guiding her to somewhere else on the ship. "No matter. I'm sure your friends will be more than happy to reimburse me for it when the time comes."

"Appa!" Toph yelled, trying to jerk away from Azula, who responded to the lack of cooperation with a low-powered electric shock. "Appa, help!"

It didn't take much more than a flame in the palm of Azula's hand to scare off the traumatized sky bison, who scrambled away as if his life depended on it. Which it likely did.

But that sure wasn't any help to Toph.

\---

"I'm sorry, Katara, but the free part of our clinic isn't set up for prenatal care. I don't know of any clinics that can provide free care if you don't at least have Medicaid." The doctor talking to Katara, a surprisingly young-looking woman, seemed to have a genuinely sad expression on her face. "I'm really sorry. It sucks, but there's nothing I can do about it. I can get you set up with some prenatal vitamins, though. They're not terribly expensive, and our clinic has a stipend for that sort of thing."

Katara sighed in disappointment. "It's okay. That would be good." If she were home, the waterbender would have gone to a doctor to find herbs to help the health of the baby. She suspected these were similar, but she was planning on having a conversation with Savannah, who had come with her, after the doctor's visit to make sure they really helped.

The two women were eventually ushered out of the clinic after Katara had pestered the young doctor with questions for at least fifteen more minutes. The visit hadn't been a complete waste, though: she left holding a large tub of the vitamins under her arm.

"Sorry, Katara," Savannah offered glumly once the two were walking down the street again. "Your insurance from your job at the circus won't kick in for another three months, and anything other than a free clinic is way too expensive otherwise."

"It's okay," Katara repeated, although there was anger bubbling up inside her. Why were there so many clinics and hospitals here if none of them would help her? Katara's patients at the clinic at home only paid her what they were able to, but she and Aang still did just fine. "So, do these vitamins actually help?" she asked. "People usually get herbs from doctors at home. Those don't look anything like these."

Savannah nodded. "Yeah, I would imagine it's the same active ingredients as in the herbs, except more concentrated. They're supposed to really help keep the baby healthy."

Katara nodded. She wasn't sure she trusted the colorful vitamins as much as what she would have at home, but she'd take what she could get. "So, are you excited to leave New York City tomorrow?" she asked Savannah. The blonde's face split into a wide smile.

"So excited! I mean, it's kind of a pain in the ass helping set up the tent and everything--you could probably get out of it--but traveling is so much fun. And you must be excited, too! You're bound to find something about your world eventually, even if it's not in New York."

Katara smiled. She was trying to maintain that optimistic attitude, too. But, though she kept it to herself, her level of concern was only rising. What if she was leaving the only portal here in New York City? What if she was leaving Aang here? What if Aang wasn't in this world at all, but in trouble at home? Was he hurt? Or worse? Katara was trying not to think about it, but it was a rather difficult topic to push completely out of her mind.

She managed to relax somewhat during her final circus performance in New York. Practicing was one thing, with so many people walking around and chattering, but performing was something else entirely. Everything else seemed to melt away as Katara ran through her waterbending katas, sweeping torrents of water right in front of the audience's faces and letting the water shift and change as it pleased. Performing in the show had been her favorite part of the day for the three days she had done it so far. Tonight was no exception--she left the ring and joined the rest of the troupe backstage feeling like she was floating.

"Great job," Jamison whispered to her as he walked out into the ring, his juggling batons in his hands.

"Good luck!" Katara whispered back. She felt like she was slowly beginning to fit in with the rest of the troupe. It still wasn't like being at home, but she didn't let that thought bring her down from her waterbending high.

An hour later, the show was coming to a close, and the entire troupe came back to the center of the ring to take a bow. Katara felt her stomach growl and resisted the urge to laugh. At least dinner was soon.

Katara met up with Lena, Savannah, and a new friend, Kriss, after the show. They had planned to celebrate their last day in New York by going to some restaurant that Katara couldn't remember the name of. "Ready to head out?" Savannah asked the group brightly. She had taken almost no time at all to change out of her ridiculously sparkly performing outfit. Savannah had a tendency to complain about the outfit, but Katara got the feeling that she secretly loved the horrendously sequiny jumpsuit.

"Ready," Lena responded. Savannah threw an arm over her girlfriend's shoulder. The small group headed through the door out of the employees' area one by one. Katara squinted nervously at a figure who was leaning against the building just outside. There were floodlights on the wall above the person that caused only their silhouette to be visible. _Probably just waiting for someone inside,_ she thought, shrugging it off and walking a little faster at the back of the group.

That thought was quickly abandoned, though, when the unidentified person lunged at Katara and wrapped his arms tightly around her. Katara yelled and squirmed, trying to pull water from the air around her but finding her arms pinned by her assailant. "Let go of me!" she screamed, and soon found herself on the ground, surrounded by her concerned friends. Her mystery attacker, did not, however, disappear.

"Tui and La, Katara! I didn't mean to scare you! It's me!"

Aang sat down on the hard pavement in front of his shaken-up fiancee, his face simultaneously displaying a smile and a look of concern. "Are you okay?"

Katara's eyes took another second to adjust to the hard glare of the floodlights in front of her. Her fear disappeared all at once when she realized who was in front of her. _I couldn't see you,_ she wanted to explain. _I'm so glad you're safe,_ she wanted to say. _We're having a baby,_ she wanted to tell him. But what came out, along with a rush of tears, was: "Could you have possibly come up with a _worse_ way to greet me?"

And then they were in each other's arms, hugging and kissing and sobbing even more than they both had when Aang had proposed. "I thought you might be dead, Aang," Katara whispered into his ear. He pulled her tighter against him. "I'm okay. We're okay."

Katara pulled away from him suddenly, squinting at the image of his face, which was still a little hard to make out against the bright lights. "You have hair," she commented. It was a little weird.

Aang laughed. "I've been sleeping in a church for the past week, Katara! Not all of us can immediately figure everything out after being forced into a completely different world!"

Katara grimaced at that, remembering her clueless exchange with the doctor and with Savannah at the clinic earlier that day. "I don't know about that," she said, hiccuping as she was caught between laughing and crying.

She suddenly remembered her friends. "Do you--do you think we could add--one more person to the party?" she asked, trying and failing to prevent her breath from catching in her throat every few words. She got to her feet and dusted herself off, reaching behind her to take Aang's hand. She didn't think that she would ever let go.

Savannah was smiling from ear to ear, both of her arms around Lena's shoulders now. Lena seemed like she was trying to hold back the same kind of grin. Kriss looked more than a little confused.

Savannah was the first to respond. "Let's go!"


End file.
